Judge says Laois defendant’s ‘account so bizarre it couldn’t be made up’

A man drove his car through a garda checkpoint because he feared something had happened to his 88-year-old mother – a story the judge said was too strange not to believe.

Joseph Michael Doran (46), Ballickmoyler, Co Laois appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy at Carlow District Court on charges of driving with no insurance and driving with no valid licence, contrary to sections 56 and 39 of the Road Traffic Acts, respectively.

The court heard that at approximately 8am on 2 December 2025, a blue Audi A4 was stopped at a checkpoint in Ballickmoyler. Gardaí were aware that Mr Doran was a disqualified driver and he immediately admitted this at the scene. He was arrested and taken to Carlow Garda Station, where he was found to have neither valid tax nor insurance.

Solicitor Chris Hogan told the court that his client had given him “unusual instructions” by way of explanation. Mr Hogan said that from Mr Doran’s house his mother’s house is visible and that, on the morning in question, his client looked out and saw garda lights outside it. Concerned for his 88-year-old mother, he got into the car knowing full well the gardaí were present and drove over to check on her.

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“Could he not walk over?” Judge Carthy asked.

Mr Doran, who was present in court, replied that the distance was approximately a mile.

Mr Hogan explained that while his client had immediately acknowledged his disqualification at the scene, his current disqualification is due to expire next month.

In mitigation, Mr Hogan noted that Mr Doran had worked as a farmer but that being off the road had cost him his livelihood.

The court heard that Mr Doran had ten previous convictions, including for multiple road traffic offences. Most recently, he was convicted in November 2024 of a road traffic offence from 2021, receiving a €200 fine and a two-year driving disqualification. Two of his previous convictions related to driving without insurance, one of which resulted in a further two-year disqualification following a conviction in June 2024.

Judge Carthy noted that Mr Doran had pleaded guilty to the section 56 charge, with the section 38 matter taken into consideration, and that a hearing date had previously been sought for 11 February.

Taking the guilty plea into account, Judge Carthy said: “This account is so bizarre that I can only come to the assumption that you couldn’t be making it up.”

She convicted Mr Doran and imposed a fine of €500 for the no insurance offence, disqualified him from driving for six years, with the no licence charge taken into consideration.

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